Material separator



Oct. 11, 1938. R. D. NICHOLS 2,132,755

MATERIAL SEPARATOR Filed Aug. 18, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 /vE/ /ToR: RICHARD D. N lcHoLs,

ATT'X Oct. 11, 1938. R D. NICHOLS 2,132,755

' MATERIAL SEPARATOR Filed Aug. 18, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 //YVE/\/TOR. RICHARD D. NICHOL 15 QKM. 7 1%.

A TT'Y Oct. 11, 1938. R. D. NICHOLS MATERIAL SEPARATOR Filed Aug. 18, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 /NVEN7'OR. RICHARD D. Mar-201.5

"EL 2 1 I Oct. 11, 1938. R. D. NICHOLS 2,132,755

MATERIAL SEPARATOR Filed Aug. 18, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 /NVEN7'OR RICHARD D. Nlgv-loLs,

ATT'X Oct. 11, 1938.

R. D. NICHOLS MATERIAL SEPARATOR Filed Aug. 18, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 [/VVE/VTOE RICHARD D. NICHOLS,

Patented J Richard Nichols, Columbus, Ohio, minor to The Jcflrey Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Ohio Application August 1a, 1930, Serial No. 96,843

20mins.

This invention relates to a jig and more partic-ularly to automatic means for controlling the depth of the refuse bed formed on the screen of a Jig.

An object of the invention is to provide a completely automatic refuse depth responsive means for controlling the depth of the refuse bed on the screen of a jig, with a minimum expenditure of power.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a float control refuse ejector for a jig in which the float controls a valve, which valve controls hydraulic means for determining the rate of ejection of refuse.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter, the novel features and combinations being set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a jig comprising my invention with parts broken away in the interest of clearness;

Fig. 2 is a front end elevational view of the device of Fig. 1 with parts broken away in the interest oi clearness;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail elevational view of the float control valve and ejector operating mechanism comprising my invention;

Fig. 4 is a sectional plan view taken on the line l4 of Fig. 3 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 6 is a sectional detail of the valve taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 4 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 7 is a side elevational view of the operating mechanism for the rotary ejector valve;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 7 looking in the direction of the arrows;

and

Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic illustration of the hydraulic system for controlling the rotary refuse ejector mechanism.

Briefly described, the main portion of the jig comprises a main frame l formed by longitudinally extending channel members II, to which are rigidly attachedtransversely extending channel members i 2, to each of which are attached upwardly extending angle members i3. The main frame l0 supports the longitudinally extending tank H which is divided into two compartments l and I3 which, except for obvious diflerences, are of substantially the same construction. It will be evident that the number of compartments may either be reduced to one or increased above two to any desired number. The tank It is providedwith a ieed chute l1 which directs raw coal into compartment i5 and with in a discharge chute l3 which directs the clean 5 coal from compartment l6.

Within each of the compartments l5 and I3 is provided a screen l3 carried upon an appropriate adjustable frame 23 which is pivoted at the forward end upon a transversely extending 10 shaft 2| and is supported by a pair of adjustable hangers 22 at its rear end. It will thus be evident that by adjusting the hangers 22, the slope of the screen i9 may be adjusted to determine the rate of travel of material thereover.

Adjacent the lower end of the screen 19 there is an opening 23 formed by a vertically adjustable plate 24 carried by a baiiie or weir 25 which separates the compartments i5 and IS. The open-' ing 23 leads to a chute 26 which directs refuse to a rotary paddle wheel type refuse discharge valve 21. The chute 26 includes a pivoted plate 23 carrying an arcuate contact plate 29 provided with a weight 30. In normal operation the arcuate plate 29 will contact the blades of the valve 25 21, but should an unusually large piece of refuse be caught therein it will move as provided by the pivoted plate 23 and permit the large particle to pass through said valve 21.

The valve 21 will discharge refuse into the 30 boot 3| of an elevator mechanism 32 by which the refuse will be elevated and discharged from the jig through a chute 33.

To drive the two elevator mechanisms 32, 32 I provide an electric motor 34 and an appropriate 35 drive gearing 35 whereby both of said elevator mechanisms 32, 32 will be operated from the same motor.

To provide for supplying water to the compartments l5 and I6 there is provided a longitudinally extending water pipe 36 with an individual valve I31 leading to each of the compartments l5 and it. Each of said compartments l5 and I3 is also provided with a bottom comprising a reciprocating diaphragm 31 in the form of a cylindrical plate which is connected to an inwardly extending stationary plate 33 provided with a circular opening. A flexible ring 39, preferably of rubber, connects the edges of the 5 plate 33 and the diaphragm 31 to provide a watertight bottom for each of said compartments i5 and it while permitting reciprocatory move-. ment of the diaphragm 31. It is to be noted that the plane of the diaphragm 31 is substantially as parallel with the plane of thescreen I8 in its normal position of adjustment.

To provide for the reciprocation of the diaphragms 81, 81 of the two compartments i5 and i8 each of said diaphragms is provided with a piston rod 48, the end of which is connected to a piston in a cylinder 4|. The cylinder 4| is provided with air under pressure by a conduit 42 which acts on the mentioned piston to counter-balance the normal weight of the liquid on the diaphragm 81. Also attached to each diaphragm 81 is a connecting rod 48 which is adjustably attached to a rocker arm 44 which is pivoted to a bracket 45 carried by a pair of channel members 48, which channel members 46 also support the cylinder 4i. The connecting rod 48 is mounted in a slide block 41 which may-be adjusted upon the rocker arm 44 to adjust the stroke of the diaphragm 81.

The rocker arm 44 is provided with a cam roller 48 adapted to ride between the outer and inner tracks of a cam 48 carried upon a shaft 58. The two shafts 58 will be interconnected by a chain and sprocket mechanism 5i which is provided with a chain tightening mechanism 52.

To drive the two shafts 58 and thus to reciprocate the two diaphragms 81, there is provided a single electric motor 58 which drives one of the shafts 58 directly through speed reduction gearing 54. (Fig. 2.) It will thus be evident that means are provided to reciprocate the two diaphragms 81 through repeating cycles of operation as determined by the formation of the cams 48. These cams may be of the same or different shapes for the two compartments l5 and i6, and may be operated either in synchronism or out of phase. It is preferred that they operate 180 degrees out of phase thereby to equalize the load upon the motor 58. It is also to be noted-that the stroke of each of the diaphragms 81, 81 may be individually adjusted. It is thus possible to give separate and individual treatment to the bed of material in each of the compartments i5 and I6 which is particularly desirable in view of the fact that the beds of material are inevitably of different composition in the two compartments. 1

Attention is now directed more particularly to Figs. 4 to 9, inclusive, of the drawings and to the improved and sensitive control means for the refuse discharge valve 21, comprising my invention. Mounted upona transversely extending angle member for each of the compartments i5 and i6, which is supported by the longitudinal sides of the tank l4, are a pair of brackets 56 and 51. The bracket 56 is provided with a pair of vertically spaced sleeves 58 and 58 (Fig. 3), and the bracket 51 is provided with a sleeve 68, the axis of which is in alignment with the axis of sleeve 58. (Fig. 4.) Between the sleeves 58 and 68 and extending through each of them is a composite shaft 6i formed by stub shafts 62 and 63 interconnected by a hollow pipe 84. Stub shaft 82 is mounted in anti-friction bearings 65 in the sleeve 58 and stub shaft. is mounted in anti-friction bearing 66 in sleeve 68. A stub shaft 61, somewhat similar to stub shaft 62, is also mounted in appropriate anti-friction bearings in sleeve 58.

Extending forwardly from and rigidly attached to the stub shafts 62 and 61 is a pair of parallel arms 68 and 68 respectively, which form part of a parallel motion mechanism for supporting a float III. The float I8 is of stream-line form and is adapted. to be totally submerged by the jigging fluid of the jig. It is provided with an integral top post H to which is attached an upwardly extending stream-line pipe 12 provided with adjusting apertures 18 and attaching shafts l4 and 15 which are mounted in receiving sockets carried by the arms 88 and 88 respectively, by antifriction bearings. The pipe I2 also carries a pointer 18 which cooperates with a stationary scale 11 carried by bracket 58, to indicate the average position of the float 18. A rod 18 adapted to receive adjustable weight washers I8 is also carried adjacent the top of the pipe 12. By removing or replacing washers 18 the efl'ective weight of the float 18 may be adjusted. It will be evident that the elements just described provide a parallel motion mechanism whereby the movement of the float 18 will be transmitted to the shaft 8i and the position of said shaft 8| is employed to control the rate of discharge of refuse by controlling the rate of rotation of the refuse discharge valve 21.

It is to be particularly noted that all friction surfaces in the float control mechanism are mounted upon anti-friction bearings, thus providing for a very sensitive float mechanism. I employ this very sensitive float mechanism merely to control a valve which, of course, will require a minimum of energy, thus maintaining at a maximum the sensitivity of said float mechanism.

As best seen in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, the control valve is provided by inserting a bushing 88 over the stub shaft 88 and into the sleeve 88. The bushing 88 is provided with an enlarged key-way 8| (see Fig. 5) with which a key 82 carried by stub shaft 63 cooperates. It is to be noted that the key 82 does not fit tightly in the key-way 8| and thus a limited amount of up and down motion of the float I8 is permitted without requiring corresponding rotation of the sleeve 88. This permits the normal up and down motion of the float l8 incident to the pulsations of the jigging fluid without affecting the refuse discharge mechanism. It is thus evident that the bushing 88 will take an angular position determined by the normal average position of the float 18.

The bushing 88 is also provided with a pair of grooves 88 and 84 which are separated by integral bosses 85 and 88. Formed in the bushing 88 are four ports, 81, 88, 88 and 88. To port 81 is connected a pipe 8i leading to the oil reservoir 81 of the fluid pressure system. To port 88 is connected a pipe 82 leading to the top of a control cylinder 85. To port 88 is connected a pipe 88 leading to the pressure side of an oil pump 88 which may be a gear type pump. To port 88 is connected a pipe 84 leading to the bottom of the cylinder 85. (See Figs. 1 and 5.)

In the normal position of adjustment of the control valve, as illustrated in Fig. 6, the ports 88 and 88 will be sealed by the bosses 85 and 86, thus maintaining the piston 88 in cylinder 85 in whatever position it has been moved to. At the same time fluid in the pipe 88 will be shut off and the pump 88 will operate merely to pump fluid into the reservoir 81 through the high pressure relief valve 88, seen particularly in Fig. 9 of the drawings.

In the float I8 is lifted in response to a predetermined large accumulation of refuse on the screen l8, the bushing 88 will rotate in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 6, resulting in the establishment of communication between the pipes 82 and 83 and between the pipes 8i and 84 through the grooves 84 and 83, respectively. As

a consequence pressure will be supplied to the top of the piston 98 in cylinder 95 to move the piston downwardly while the bottom of said piston is connected to the oil reservoir 91. This movement will continue so long as the bushing is in said rotated position. If said bushing 88 is rotated in a counter-clockwise direction by the lowering of the float 18, then communication will be established between the pressure pipe 93 and the pipe 94 leading to the lower side of piston 98 and communication at the same time will be established between pipes 9I and 92. As a consequence, the piston 98 will be elevated in the cylinder 95.

It is therefore obvious that the position of the piston 98 will be adjusted whenever the float 18 moves from its normalposition. The movement of said piston 98 is employed, as hereinafter described, to control the rate of discharge of the refuse, by controlling the rate of rotation of the refuse discharge valve 21.

It may also be noted that upon the end of the stub shaft 63 there is carried a pendulum mechanism I88 (Figs. 1 and 3) to stabilize the action of the float 18.

Attention is now directed particularly to Figs. 1, "I and 8 and to the mechanism for rotating the refuse discharge valve 21 under the control of the piston 98. It may flrst well be noted that the cylinder 95 is pivotally mounted upon a bracket I8I carried by a side wall of the tank I4 to provide free pivotal movement of said cylinder 95. The piston 98 is provided with a piston rod I82 and with a packing gland I88 to insure an oil-tight head-end compartment for the cylinder 95. Piston rod I82 connects to a rod I84 by a turnbuckle mechanism I85, thereby providing an adjustment for the effective length of the arm formed by rods I82 and I84. Rod I84 is pivoted to a bracket I86 carried upon arms I81, I81 provided with counter-weights I88 and supported upon inner bearings of a bracket I89 supported by screws II8 upon a removable plate III, which plate is carried by the side wall of tank I4. The plate III is provided with a journal bearing II2 for a shaft II3 of the refuse discharge valve 21. The shaft H3 is also journaled in spaced journals provided by the bracket I89. By removing the bracket I89 and the plate III, the refuse discharge valve 21 may be removed from the tank I4 as a unit by moving it laterally therefrom. (See Fig. 8.)

Keyed to the outer end of the shaft H3 is a ratchet wheel II4 which, upon being rotated, will rotate said shaft H3 and thus rotate the refuse discharge valve 21. To oscillate the ratchet wheel I I4 I provide a continuously operating bell crank lever II5 which carries a pair of engaging pawls H8, and which is continuously oscillated by a rod I I1 which is reciprocated by a crank I I8 (see Fig. 1) 'driven from shaft 58 through appropriate speed reduction mechanism II9.

To control the extent of rotation of the refuse discharge valve 21 upon each oscillation of the bell crank II5, the bracket I86 carries a pawl controlling shield I28 which determines by its position the angular movement of the ratchet wheel II4 for each oscillation of the bell crank H5. The system is preferably so adjusted that in normal operation there will be some movement of the ratchet wheel II4 for each oscillation of the bell crank lever H5 and this angular movement is either increased or decreased as required by the depth of the refuse bed to maintain said depth substantially constant. That is, if the refuse becomes deeper than normal, the float 18 will be effective to adjust the shield I28 so that upon each oscillation of the bell crank lever I I5, the refuse discharge valve 21 willmove through a greater angle and thus discharge refuse at a more rapid rate. When the depth of the refuse bed is returned to normal, the shield I28 will be moved by the float 18 so that the refuse discharge valve 21 moves through a normal angle for each oscillation of the bell crank lever I I5. If the refuse bed becomes of an undesirably low depth then the shield I28 will be controlled by the float 18 so that the refuse discharge valve 21 only moves through a very small angle for each oscillation of the bell crank lever H5 and in an extreme case the shield I28 would prevent any rotation whatever of said valve 21 by the bell crank lever II5.

In the operation of the device comprising my invention the raw coal to be cleaned by the removal of the refuse, such as pyrite, shale and bony coal, from the pure coal, is fed to the feed chute I1 leading to compartment I5 of the jig. The tank I4 will, of course, be supplied with a proper amount of water and the diaphragms 31 of compartments I5 and I8 will cause a pulsing -movement of the liquid upwardly and downwardly through the screens I9. As a consequence, the raw coal will be first stratifled in the compartment I5 with the refuse, and particularly the shale and pyrite, on the bottom, and the clean coal and bony coal stratifled on top. The refuse ejector mechanism 21 of the compartment I5 will be adjusted with a view of removing practically all of the shale and pyrite and possibly some of the bony coal. The stratifled clean coal and bony coal will then pass into the compartment I6, while remaining in a stratifled condition, where it will be more completely stratifled with the bony coal on the bottom and the clean coal on top. The refuse ejector valve 21 of compartment I6 will be so operated as to remove the stratifled bony coal while the clean coal is discharged over discharge chute I9.

The float 18 in each compartment I5 and I6 will be so adjusted as to maintain a position substantially on top of the stratifled refuse which is to be removed, and due to its very sensitive construction will operate to control the rate of discharge of a rotary discharge valve 21, to maintain the depth of the refuse bed in each compartment at a predetermined value. As a consequence, the jigging conditions in each of the compartments I5 and I5 will be uniform, resulting in a very efficient separation of the coal and refuse. This uniform condition will be maintained in an entirely automatic manner and by my improved system, which is of extreme sensitivity due to the fact that the work required to be done by the float 18 is maintained at aminimum, namely, that of merely operating a control valve. It is thus seen that a very efllcient and entirely automatic jig has been provided for cleaning coal.

While coal is the principal material for which my jig is designed, it is evident that it may be employed to separate other materials which differ in specific gravities.

Obviously those skilled in the art may make various changes in the details and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims hereto appended, and I therefore wish not to be restricted to the precise construction herein disclosed.

Having thus described and shown an embodiment of my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent 0! the United States is:

1. In a separator, the combination with a material support, of a totally submerged float, a rotary discharge valve, a reciprocating arm, means for rotating said valve a variable amount upon each reciprocation of said arm including an amount between the maximum and the minimum amounts, said means including afluid operated rod, a piston controlling said rod, valve discharge refuse substantially continuously, a hydraulic control system controlled by said float and controlling the rate of rotation of said valve, said control system comprising means providing a source of substantially non-compressible fluid under pressures cylinder having a piston therein, entry ports at opposite ends of said cylinder, said piston being connected to means to adJust the rate of rotation 01' said rotary valve, a control valve for said cylinder operable by said float, said control valve being so constructed and arranged that when in its normal position said piston will be locked in position by trapping said non-compressible fluid on opposite sides thereo! in an inert condition and when moved to opposite sides of said normal position said fluid under pressure will act on said piston to move it in opposite directions.

RICHARD D. NICHOLS. 

